Shinjuku Gyoen

What can I say? I like to go to parks, and Japanese parks are beautiful. There aren't many flowers this time of year, but the myriad shades of green are incredible.

This park is right in the middle of the busy office and shopping area called Shinjuku. On the day I was there, the park was full of schoolchildren who were merrily running about, older men with expensive cameras attached to tripods who were taking pictures of any flower they could find, and artists painting and sketching the scenery. The park has a Japanese garden, of course, and a greenhouse where many plants found in Hawaii reside.